Town Hall Seattle: Civics Series

Town Hall’s Civics series highlights everything from local policies to world politics. These events offer perspectives on a range of topics as diverse as Seattle itself—a bustling forum for activism, discovery, and thought-provoking discussion.

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Modern educators have expressed dissatisfaction with our current
K-12 school system. Many claim that it prioritizes only a single
way of understanding, pushes children into a rigid set of grades
with little regard for individual maturity, and slaps “disability”
labels over differences in learning style. And when the children
struggle, schools pressure parents into “fixing” their children
rather than questioning the system.

With boldness, experience, and humor, education expert Susan
Wise Bauer turned conventional wisdom on its head: when a serious
problem arises at school, the fault more likely lies with the
school (or the educational system itself) rather than with the
child. Bauer invited us to examine the traditional K-12 school
structure with her book Rethinking School: How to Take
Charge of Your Child’s Education. She offered trenchant
criticisms of its weaknesses and a wealth of advice for parents of
children whose difficulties may stem from learning differences,
maturity differences, and toxic classroom environments. Join Bauer
for a discussion of best practices in sane, humane
parenting―negotiating the twelve-grade school system in a way that
nurtures and protects our children’s minds, emotions, and
spirits.

Susan Wise Bauer is an educator and
academic who taught at the College of William & Mary in
Virginia for fifteen years and has worked with parents and students
for over two decades. She is the author of the classic book on
homeschooling, The Well-Trained Mind, as well as
other previous best-selling titles for Norton
including The Well-Educated Mind, The Story of Western
Science, and the History of the
World series.

Recorded live at Phinney Neighborhood Association by Town Hall
Seattle on Tuesday, January 30, 2018.

About the Podcast

The Civics series at Town Hall shines a light on the shifting issues, movements, and policies, that affect our world. These events pose questions and ideas, big and small, that have the power to inform and impact our lives. Whether it be constitutional research from a scholar, a new take on history, or the birth of a movement, it’s all about educating and empowering.